Protecting His Own
by charactersreadthestorysfan
Summary: Luffy grabs Chopper from the enemies hold and hands him carefully to Nami like he's one of the most precious things in the world-and really he is. As he turns, his grin stretches too wide and shows too many teeth to be anything but a threat, a silent warning. This will be a series of drabbles.


**Author's Note: Just something that popped into my head while I was writing scholarship essays. All my stories are Unbetaed and I did not have time to proofread this before I posted so please let me know if there are any major mistakes. Please Enjoy and review!**

Because there is rage in his eyes – an untamed fire. When Luffy steps forward in a way that makes him seem bigger than he is- in a way that encompasses his whole crew and swaddles them in protection- he is full of righteous rage that only comes about when he protects his own. The Straw Hats notice the protection and react in various ways, Smoker notices.

The orange-haired girl – Nami his mind supplies- has a small smile on her face like she has been protected like this before (and she has. She will never forget Arlong Park and the fact that Luffy loved her enough to give her his hat even back then) and her eyes are so warm and full of gratitude as she gazes on her captain that Smoker turns away.

Sanji, the lanky cook in the black suit that loves his captain just as much as he loves food, leans against a nearby tree and while he looks as relaxed as a pirate can be in the presence of a Marine there is violence in his eyes and Smoker sees- only because he's looking- the way he keeps glancing at his fellow crew mates in a way that is both calculating and protective but never does his glance stray to Luffy. Smoker wonders why but will never ask and so he'll never know (If he had any member of the crew could've told you that watching Luffy in this mindset fell only to one person, and one person alone).

Usopp stands tall but does not reach for weapons, though he does move back towards Nami who is standing the farthest away from any of the Marines. To hide or protect, Smoker isn't sure. (It isn't either because his stupid _captainbrotherfriend _is sometimes too reckless but he knows that when Luffy is like _this,_ when he's protecting them- _no one _is going to get past him- but his captain might order them back to the ship and Nami would be the only one to protest- the sister that always wants to make sure nobody gets left behind, not ever again).

Zoro watches his captain and re-belts his swords- he knows he won't need them- not with the Marines trying to attack _Luffy's Crewmates. _He smirks at Smoker and lets him see the cold promise in his eyes _if Smoker would lay a hand on Luffy, Devil Fruit be damned, he was going to kill him-mercilessly. _Because there is a reason that Zoro follows, and will only follow, Luffy.

Then Smoker's eyes focus on the scene in front of him and even he takes a step back from the look in Luffy's eyes. Suddenly Smoker realizes that this man will become King of the Pirates and his legacy won't be the One Piece like Gol. D. Roger.

_This_ is Luffy's legacy- protecting his own.

So when Luffy steps towards the low ranked Marine and his eyes are filled with fire so reminiscent to the fire that was once a part of his brother and demands that_ the military scum holding Chopper- _his crewmatefriendlittlebrother (and Luffy won't _ever_ let a brother die again) The officer drops him immediately. Luffy's eyes- so full of bright flames- bank into smoldering onyx and if anything, this makes his expression even more terrifying. Flames are clean, simple but _this_ there is nothing clean or simple about Luffy's eyes now.

Smoker actually drops his cigars on the ground when he sees the look on Luffy's face. He would be the first to admit that he has done horrible things, seen horrible things. Hell, he chases after pirates for a living but nothing has terrified him as much as Monkey D. Luffy defending his own.

Once Smoker thought Zoro was the strongest member of the Straw Hats, regardless that Luffy was the captain, but now he's seen Luffy protect his own and even the cold glinted promise in Zoro's eyes doesn't scare as much as the expression on Luffy's face does.

With a smile as wide as the ocean and as warm as the mountain that Chopper joined the crew on, Luffy grabs Chopper and hands him carefully to Nami like he's one of the most precious things in the world to Luffy- and really he is. As he turns his grin stretches too wide and shows too many teeth to be anything but a threat, a silent warning.

"If you, or anyone else, ever touch my Nakama again I won't kill you." Luffy states with the same wide grin on his face but his are aflame once again. "But I will make you wish I had." Not one person, Marine or Pirate, doubts his sincerity.

Luffy turns and the flames in his eyes and posture of warrior disappear with nothing left to even hint that they were there in the first place. But Smoker knows what he saw and he has to ask. He steps forward and locks his knees so they won't shake. Zoro might not be the scariest thing he's ever seen anymore but he's pretty damn close and those icy eyes are glinting in the afternoon sun. He watches Zoro's hands come to rest on his swords but Smoker doesn't attack, doesn't make any threatening moves, and doesn't even think to because he's not an idiot. Instead he asks a question he's wanted to know the answer to for a long time because the Straw Hats have always been more than just a crew_. _

"Why?" Smoker asks gruffly, there is no need to clarify what he means.

As soon as Luffy turns around Smoker can feel every particle in his body ready to turn to smoke so he can flee at the first hint at a fight (he's no coward but he knows he stands no chance against Luffy, not with protecting his crew on the forefront of his mind) because the look in Luffy's eyes are terrifying and burn bright with promise.

"Because," Luffy says, his eyes full of grief and the beginning of an inferno and all Smoker can think is 'oh no, I get it now' before Luffy continues. "I won't lose anyone ever again." There is fire and rage in those eyes both ancient and timeless and those eyes lead Smoker to a sudden moment of clarity.

He realizes that Luffy's grief and fire and rage wasn't just caused by the death of Firefist (although that could be what caused such an amplification of his protective instincts) he has lost someone or something incredibly important before. Before Smoker can stupidly ask -'who else, what else, did you have to lose to be able to make eyes like that?'- Straw-hat has already bounded forward and tackled the blonde cook with a loud, boisterous proclamation of, "I'm hungry Sanji!"

And then the crew disappears and Smoker is left with a soul deep belief that the new King of the Pirates is going to be Monkey D. Luffy and that he's going to be an even better king then Gol D. Roger could ever have even hoped to be.

**Author's Note: Please leave a review on your way out.**


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